The present invention relates to an absorbent article, such as a diaper and an incontinence guard, comprising a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet and an absorbent body enclosed therebetween, wherein the article exhibits a front portion, a rear portion, and a crotch portion located therebetween, and flier exhibits a belt, attached to or intended to be attached to the rear portion and to the front portion of the article, in such a way that the article assumes a pant-like shape where the belt constitutes a part of the waist portion of the pant.
Diapers and incontinence guards for incontinent adults usually have a garment portion holding an absorbent body in place against the user""s body, and attachment means which hold the garment portion in place also when the user is moving. A common type of attachment means is adhesive tape tabs or hook and loop fasteners, which directly attach the front and rear portions of the absorbent article to each other.
It is also previously known, e.g. through EP-A-0 287 388, BP-A-0 409 307, EP-A-0 528 2282, EP-A-0 605 012 and FR-A-2 586 558, to attach the front and rear portions of the article to each other by means of a belt, wherein the possibilities to adjust the fit are improved. Depending on the type of attachment means, different types of receiving surfaces, which are to cooperate with the attachment means, are utilised. Another advantage with belt diapers is that a user which is standing up, when putting the diaper on, first can fix the belt around his/her waist and then raise the absorbent portion of the diaper which is hanging down between his/her legs and fix its attachments means to the belt. In many cases, users having a reduced coordination or ability to move perceive such a dressing as being easier than it would be to put on a conventional xe2x80x9call-in-onexe2x80x9d diaper or pant diaper.
Furthermore, WO 95/19753 discloses an absorbent article, such as a disposable diaper, an incontinence guard, a pant diaper or the like. The absorbent article comprises a containment arrangement comprising a liquid-pervious frontsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet, an absorbent core arranged between the front- and backsheet, a first attachment arrangement and a second attachment arrangement. The attachment system disclosed in WO 95/19753 comprises that both the belt and the opposite waist portion of the diaper have attachment means on both the inside and the outside, and is in this way reported to enable the carrier to choose between putting on the article as a conventional diaper, as a pant diaper, or as a belt diaper. Furthermore, the attachment system is claimed to be designed for ensuring an easy removal and change of the diaper, and an easy inspection of whether the diaper has been soiled.
However, the previously known belt diapers can be perceived as being associated with certain problems.
Unlike infants, incontinent adults may have body sizes and shapes within a very wide range. The previously known diapers often have first attachment means of a limited area on one of the belt portions and second attachment means of a limited area on the other belt portion. Consequently, in order to obtain an attachment of the first attachment means to the second attachment means, it is required that the relatively small attachment areas of the first and second attachment means come into contact with each other. Besides resulting in demands on precision when fixating the belt, difficulties in adapting the belt length to different body sizes will arise. The previously known absorbent belt products often exhibit similar problems when locally delimited attachment means on the front portion of the diaper are to be attached to corresponding locally delimited attachment means on the belt in order to complete the dressing.
When nursing homes and the like are concerned, it sometimes occurs that incontinent adult users of belt diapers participate in toilet training or in the daytime more or less independently take care of their toilet visits. With the previously known belt diapers, there is a large risk that the portion of the diaper hanging down after having been released from the belt accidentally is dipped down into the toilet bowl when the user sits down or gets up. This is of course not desirable.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to achieve an absorbent article which eliminates the problem with the article accidentally being dipped down into a toilet bowl in connection with toilet training or a user""s independent toilet visits, which article furthermore can be adapted to most occurring body sizes and shapes, and which article in addition optionally can be put on and taken off as a belt product, an xe2x80x9call-in-onexe2x80x9d product, on in a similar fashion as a pant diaper.
The object is achieved by means of an absorbent article, such as a diaper or an incontinence guard, which comprises a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet, and an absorbent body enclosed therebetween. The article exhibits a front portion, a rear portion, and a crotch portion located therebetween, and further a belt, attached to or intended to be attached to the rear portion and to the front portion of the, article in such a way that the article assumes a pant-like shape where the belt constitutes a part of the waist portion of the pants. Thereby, at least a first belt portion carries a receiving material both on the face which is to constitute the outside and on the face which is to constitute the inside of the belt, which receiving material can serve as a receiving area for an attachment material arranged on a second belt portion and as a receiving area for an attachment material arranged on one or several attachment means attached to the front portion of the article which comprise a first main surface and an opposite, second main surface, and wherein the receiving surface also enables reattachment of the attachment material. According to the invention, the attachment material on the attachment means is arranged on both the first and the second main surface of at least one of the attachment means when it is in an unfolded position, wherein the, belt portion or belt portions carry/carries the receiving material across substantially its/their entire outside and inside.